Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor When the governor announced the first round of business closures in mid-May, many were in shock. It was the first real sign that the coronavirus was here in Iowa. It showed many people that this was a serious matter. Now, after another round of closures, school canceled for the year, and several thousand cases of infection, we still have no idea when this might truly be over. Still no idea when our freedom will be fully returned. When we will be able to go back to “normal”, whatever that may be.
One dramatic effect of business closures is the most devastating of all, lost revenue. Many businesses are seeing record lows in sales. Some are even shut down for the foreseeable future because they don’t have the money to reopen. The small businesses that are still open struggle to earn a living, to stay afloat. Using desperate measures and creativity to try to compete with large chain stores. “I am really proud of our small businesses because they’ve been very resilient and they’re trying their best, but this has not been easy,” said Kristi Ray, the Executive Vice President of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce, in an interview with the Maroon Echoes. Ms. Ray believes that although this lull in the economy does not mean the end of many businesses. It was more of a calling to get creative. “Some small businesses decided on day one that they were going to get as creative as they can,” said Kristi. “One I loved seeing was Central Park Coffee Company partnering with Country Charm flower shop. People could order a dozen cookies and a balloon. It was neat to see two businesses working together,” she added. These extreme circumstances have also brought about creative marketing in some businesses; with some leaning in a more online direction. One example is Brown’s Shoe Fit and Lillian Grace Boutique holding live weekly fashion shows on their Facebook page. “It was fun to watch them get creative with stuff like that. You’ve seen everything from scavenger hunts to lots of social media posts. One of the things that have really begun to rise is the ability for small businesses to compete online,” said Kristi Ray. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently declared that Henry county is an “Orange County”, meaning that the coronavirus spread is still active in our area. We will have to wait a few more weeks before Mount Pleasant can fully reopen, but once we do Kristi has some advice. “The minute she opens this town we will have to rally around these people that have been closed,” said Kristi. “It’s really going to put pressure on our community that when we do go back, to get out and support them so that some of these people can survive!”
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Maroon Echoes StaffAdvisor- Ronnie Waggoner Archives
November 2020
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